A Handy Little Raspberry Pi-Based Mobile Terminal
This mobile Raspberry Pi terminal built by Redditor Remag293 is perfect for working with servers.
There are currently about 3.5 billion smartphone users in the world, meaning nearly half of the entire Earth’s population has a powerful computer in their pocket at all times. With all of that portable capability, it’s hard for most people to imagine why you’d need anything else. But users with unique needs may need something more custom. For example, you may want a portable terminal for interfacing with a server and that might only be possible with an Ethernet connection that your smartphone doesn’t support. This mobile Raspberry Pi terminal built by Redditor Remag293 is perfect for that kind of work.
Remag293 is quick to point out that this is their first finished Raspberry Pi project, which just makes it that much more inspiring. The packaging is simple, but quite attractive from a minimalist standpoint. All of the Raspberry Pi’s ports are easily accessible from the outside of the enclosure. That includes the Ethernet point, so the Raspberry Pi terminal can be plugged into a network switch or whatever else Remag293 might require. The HDMI port also remains usable, so the device can be connected to an external display if needed. A compact keyboard with physical buttons allows for pleasant typing of commands.
The model used for this project is a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, though similar builds can be done with any of the newer full-size models. The screen is a 3.5” 480x320 TFT touchscreen display from Adafruit. Remag293 does, however, caution that this particular screen has a slow refresh rate. The Mini Bluetooth Keyboard also comes from Adafruit, as do the large 4400mAh lithium ion battery back and PowerBoost 1000C LiPo charger and power board. All of those are housed within an enclosure that was modeled in SpaceClaim, which is solid modeling CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software that we don’t often see being used by hobbyists. The enclosure was 3D-printed, with the base in nylon material and the top cover in PETG. Remag293 plans to continue revising the design, and will hopefully add a camera to the next version.